The Clark County Coroner’s office in Nevada on Tuesday provided the identification of a kidnapping victim and suspect who were killed in a barricade incident last Thursday night in the southwest Las Vegas Valley.
According to Las Vegas police, the incident started Thursday night around 7:30 p.m., when officers responded to a call of reports that a woman was kidnapped at gunpoint at a nail salon near Eastern and St. Rose Parkway.
According to police, witnesses who saw the scene unfold called 911 and provided a license plate, which helped authorities identify the suspect immediately.
Police have named the woman’s ex-boyfriend, who is also the father of her 3-year-old child, as the suspect. The man’s name has not been officially provided by police yet, identifying him only as a Hispanic male thus far.
When LVMPD responded to the man’s home near Fort Apache and Sunset, police say the suspect refused to exit the residence, leading to SWAT being called to assist with the hostage situation.
According to police, hours later, authorities were able to secure the release of a child and a woman who were both inside the home as well.
LVMPD said SWAT later made the decision to enter the home.
Authorities located the victim unresponsive inside the residence and she was later determined to be deceased. Police said the suspect was also located in the home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On Tuesday, the coroner’s office identified the kidnapping victim as 38-year-old Rizza Abrera. Her cause and manner of death are still pending, officials said.
The coroner’s office also identified the suspect as 41-year-old Steven Evans. His cause and manner of death were also still pending.
Las Vegas police said at the time that a third person, a woman, was found hiding in a bedroom. She was unharmed and exited the home with police. Authorities have not specified the connection between the two women who were in the residence and the victim and the suspect.
Friends of the victim said that the suspect was reportedly stalking her.
“The system failed her,” Nick Blomgren said, adding that the victim tried and tried to get help in dealing with the suspect. “She went to the police, nobody would do anything. She went to lawyers, nobody would do anything to the guy, they went to court, nobody would do anything to the guy.”
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